Video posted on the Ministry of Defence’s YouTube channel today. On Wednesday December 7th 2016, RAF Typhoon FGR.4s operating out of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus attacked a Daesh bunker in western Iraq and a Daesh-held building north of Mosul.

Video uploaded to the MoD’s YouTube channel yesterday. On Thursday 17 November 2016, RAF Tornados used an Enhanced Paveway II bomb to successfully strike a Daesh bunker, located in the countryside north-east of Rawah, Iraq.

Royal Air Force strike aircraft operating against ISIS forces in Iraq have used one of the most powerful weapons in the British arsenal for the first time. Flying from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, two Tornado GR.4s launched four Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missiles against a weapon store housed in a reinforced bunker that harked back to the days of Saddam Hussein.

Storm Shadow is a long-range, stand-off, air-launched missile and is arguably the most advanced weapon of its kind in the world. Equipped with a powerful conventional warhead it was designed specifically to attack important hardened targets and infrastructure; a requirement that arose in the days of the Cold War. The missile can fly at high sub-sonic speeds out to a range in excess of 150 miles and is designed to have low-observability on radar.

An RAF spokesperson told the media;

Intelligence had determined that Daesh were using a large concrete bunker in western Iraq as a weapons facility. Due to the massive construction, built during the Saddam era, it was decided to use four Storm Shadow missiles against it, as the weapon has particularly good capabilities against such a challenging target. The missiles were launched on Sunday 26 June by two Tornados, all four Storm Shadows scored direct hits and penetrated deep within the bunker.

In northern Iraq, intelligence had located a large truck-bomb factory near Mosul and two RAF Tornado GR4s armed with 1000lb Enhanced Paveway II guided bombs were tasked with its destruction. The attack took place on June 6th and involved a single Enhanced Paveway II laser guided bomb. As you can see from the footage the attack was devastating.

Intelligence analysis pinpointed two Daesh headquarters in north-west Syria, located 10 and 25 miles respectively north of Aleppo near the fighting along the Mar’a Line. A pair of Tornado GR4s were tasked with their destruction on Friday 20 May.

One of the command posts was in a very solidly constructed building, this was targeted with two Enhanced Paveway II 1000lb bombs. A pair of 500lb Paveway IVs were used against the second headquarters. Both targets were destroyed by direct hits.